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Riverside, CA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

Significant Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Governing section
RMC § 6.06.040(A)
Applies to
AB 341 business & multifamily covered generators
Mandate
Subscribe to hauler recycling service, not just trash
Exemption path
Waiver from Public Works Director, § 6.06.140
Waiver term
Up to one year unless extended
Container rule
Stored in enclosure, can't block alleys/doorways

Summary

Municipal Code Section 6.06.040(A) requires every AB 341 business and multifamily covered generator in Riverside to subscribe to combined solid waste and recyclable materials collection from the same City-franchised hauler, unless the Public Works Director grants an exemption or waiver.

A.Recycling requirements. All AB 341 business and multifamily residential property covered generators must subscribe to and receive solid waste and recyclable materials collection services from the same franchised waste hauler unless they apply for and receive an exemption or waiver from the City as provided for in this chapter.

Source: Riverside Municipal CodeView official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 33).

Full Breakdown

050 fleshes out what a subscribed generator must do: source-separate designated recyclable materials from solid waste, provide at least weekly collection of recyclables, supply recycling containers in multifamily units and maintenance/work areas, and give tenants and employees written instructions on what must be source-separated. 060, and may not block an alley or a doorway adjoining one. 080, and it is unlawful for anyone other than a franchised hauler to collect them. 140; approved waivers run for up to one year unless the City extends them. 090, including reporting unwaived, non-recycling accounts to the City each quarter.

Violations & Fines

A covered generator receiving solid waste service but not recycling service, without an approved Section 6.06.140 waiver, is out of compliance with Section 6.06.040(A) and subject to code enforcement. Storing recycling bins so they block an alley or doorway, or letting them become disorderly, separately violates Section 6.06.060. Franchised haulers must report non-compliant accounts to the City quarterly under Section 6.06.090, feeding follow-up enforcement against the property.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a Riverside business opt out of recycling service?
Only with an approved exemption or waiver. Section 6.06.040(A) requires AB 341 covered generators to subscribe to recycling alongside trash service from the same franchised hauler, and Section 6.06.140 lets the Public Works Director waive that only if no recycling system is available or the generator produces none of the designated materials.
Who owns the recyclables once they're in the bin?
The franchised waste hauler does. Section 6.06.080 makes materials placed in hauler-provided recycling containers, bins, or roll-off boxes the property of the franchised hauler, and bars anyone else from collecting them without that hauler's permission.
Where do commercial recycling bins have to be kept?
Section 6.06.060 requires recycling and solid waste containers to sit in an appropriate on-site enclosure, kept neat and orderly, and prohibits placing them where they block passage through an alley or through any doorway of a building adjoining an alley.

Sources & Official References

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